Monday, March 31, 2008

Fish Guanaja - We are Good To Go!

Fish Guanaja? You betcha! We are good to go. My husband has his important fishing gear all laid out to take with us. Party balloons for "balloon" fishing and a new trusty cedar plug for tuna.

The Corona, well, that will be gone before we leave so he will have to get a new one when he gets down there.

As you all know, many hours can be spent with the art of fishing ... the real deal is the catching part! Now this gear that is laid out has had luck for us in the Bahamas. We caught a personal best, 24 pound snapper, in the Abacos using the balloon technique. Actually it was quite easy once the balloon was blown up and tied ... the rest was just drinking beer and watching the party beast jump around in the breeze and waiting for the tug of the fish.

The cedar plug is another story all together. We were given the "inside info" on this unflashy lure from a clerk in Nassau, Bahamas. The cedar plug was magic! We ran into a school of tuna on our way to the Berry Islands and that lure absolutely smoked ...

The only party we had was the one where Mr. Tuna was the guest of honor!

Well, we are hoping that the fish down in Guanaja have all been to the same "school", pun intended, as the Bahamian fish! We are looking forward to fishing Guanaja. I'll keep you posted!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Fish Guanaja - Gearing Up!


Fish Guanaja? Time to gear up!

Having been down to this island paradise before, we know that most of the fishing done by the natives is with handlining using the spool method. What better way to show our appreciation to our local friends than to bring them down rods and reels?

So off we went to the nautical flea market on Marco Island and picked up these 4 rods and reels. We will take them down to Guanaja and when we get through fishing, we will leave them for our friends. The US is a land of plenty and sometimes we forget the less fortunate. New, these poles would probably equal 2-3 months pay for the average Honduran.

This is our way of thanking the folks of Guanaja for sharing their little island paradise with us.

Fish Guanaja, 5 days and counting!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Fish Guanaja - How about Next Week?

Fish Guanaja? How about next week?

Our tickets are booked and we have already started to collect a mini tackle box to take with us. We have talked with Captain Bob and he will be ready to fish when we get there... YIKES ... I'm excited! What kind of creatures are we going to pull up from those deep Caribbean waters?

I would like a Tuna ... sushi with wasabi is always good ... then steaks seared rare, YUM!

How about a large bill fish? I only want a pictures of this big guy ... I could tell the stories for years about landing one of these .....maybe a king and we could let's break out the smoker for some fish dip.

We'll have to see ...... follow along with our adventures. Fishing in Guanaja, I'll keep you posted!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Fish Guanaja - Stalking the Bonefish!

Fish Guanaja Honduras, from the deep blue sea to the flats were the turtle grass grows. There is really something for every type of angler.

I remember, as a kid, fly fishing with my Dad up in the cold mountain streams of Washington state. Holy cow, what fun! Gearing up to wade into the icy river water and afterwards cooking a trout on a open fire.... hot chocolate out of the thermos to keep the chill out of our bones...

Fast forward to the present day and you'll find me sneaking up on a bonefish on the flats in Guanaja wearing crocs to protect my feet, shorts, t-shirt and a hat to keep the sun out of my eyes. My fly rod in hand, wading through turtle grass, stalking a big bonefish. Many of these guys have never even seen an artificial fly ... just the opportunity to cast to these magnificent creatures is a treat.

Of course, I am strictly catch and release with bonefish, so there won't be any fish on the grill for dinner unless a permit wanders by and snaps up my fly. I guess we will just have to sit back and enjoy a cold Salva Vida and tell tall tales about the fish that got away!

Fly fishing in Guanaja is an adventure for everyone!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Fish Guanaja Honduras, an Islanders Story

Fish Guanaja, who better to know the real "scoop" than one of the locals.

Daniel said, that preparation is the key. First the water must be chummed to attract the fish. This is done by packing a used (or no linger in use) conch shell. They grind up small bait fish with sand and pack them into the shell. As the shell floats to the bottom, bits of the tasty fish/sand "stuff" floats out and the surrounding fish come running! Only a small portion of the chum actually floats out, but it keeps attracting the fish for some time.

Now is the time to get serious. The locals use a hand line along with a handmade jig made of yarn. I guess yellow yarn works best and they keep a supply of it at home just for their fishing excursions. Daniel swears that he and his brothers have caught up to 100 pounds of fish at a time using this method ... enough to feed several families.

Fish Guanaja? In this case, the simple method may be the best!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Fish Guanaja Honduras, I'm Ready!

Fish Guanaja Honduras? I'm ready, let's go!

Guanaja Honduras is one of the Bay Islands of Honduras, located about forty miles off the coast of Honduras and east of Roatan in the Bay Island chain. Up until now, Guanaja, has manged to be relatively undiscovered as far as fishing goes. The die hard fishing guys all go to Mexico, Costa Rica or Belize for their fishing excursions, but just off the coast of this tiny gem, lies the world's second largest barrier reef, and on the other side of that reef the Caribbean Sea drops off into amazing depths. Migratory fish like tuna, marlin and wahoo all make their way through these waters.

I recently met one of the boat Captains from Guanaja ... Captain Bob ... and he shared some of his fishing experiences with me .... WOW .... I am ready to go ....!

Fish Guanaja? Heck yeah! I am planning my trip right now!